PETOSKEY - Fresh Baby, a Petoskey-based company, has been named one of Michigan’s 50 Companies to Watch in 2026. The Michigan Celebrates Small Business organization selected the firm for its work in public health and nutrition.
The recognition follows a competitive selection process involving 1,000 applicants statewide. Since its founding in 2002, the company has focused on reducing diet-related chronic diseases such as obesity, heart disease and type two diabetes through early childhood intervention.
Fresh Baby founder and CEO Cheryl Tallman said the selection validates the brand’s long-term mission in the public health sector. “According to their press release, there were a thousand companies who submitted applications,” Tallman said. “So, to be chosen as a top 50 is super exciting. And it’s also, I think, a testament to the type of work we do.”
Tallman noted that the company has focused on public health since its inception. “Since 2002 when the company was founded, we have been focused on eliminating and reducing diet-related chronic disease in this country,” Tallman said. “So, areas that we focus on are specifically obesity, type two diabetes and heart disease.”
The company began with a baby food-making kit designed to encourage healthy eating habits from infancy. Tallman explained that the goal was to provide children with a “fresh start” on a path toward healthy nutrition. “The company was started with a baby food making kit back in 2002 and our thought was to start at the beginning, where a child is introduced to food and get them on a fresh start or, a start,” Tallman said.
Unlike many health-focused brands, Fresh Baby does not typically utilize traditional retail channels. The company instead works with public health partners and agencies nationwide to reach families. These partnerships are intended to reach parents during the early stages of habit formation in children.
Tallman emphasized that consistency is a vital component for parents trying to establish healthy routines at home. “I think the biggest thing that I could give in terms of advice is, number one, don’t give up,” Tallman said. “I mean, if you have children at home and you’re struggling, you really have to be consistent and focused and stay true to who you are and what you believe in, and your child will eventually follow.”
For more information visit Fresh Baby’s website.